The Wire Staff 
New Delhi: India and the ASEAN countries are “peace-loving nations that respect each other’s national integrity and sovereignty”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday (October 10) while addressing the India-ASEAN summit in the Laotian capital of Vientiane.
Modi, who also met his Japanese and New Zealander counterparts on the sidelines of the main ASEAN summit, made the remarks at a time of confrontation between China and ASEAN members Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea.
“Today, when there is conflict and tension in many parts of the world, the friendship, coordination, dialogue and cooperation between India and ASEAN are of utmost importance,” Modi added.
India and ASEAN – which stands for the Association for South East Asian Nations and was founded in 1967 – established the annual India-ASEAN summit in 2002 and upgraded the nomenclature of their ties to a ‘comprehensive strategic partnership’ in 2022.
At Thursday’s summit, the two sides released joint statements on strengthening this comprehensive strategic partnership and “advancing digital transformation”.
The two sides said they reaffirmed “the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, stability, maritime safety and security, freedom of navigation and overflight in the region.”
They also said they supported the “full and effective implementation” of a 2002 declaration of conduct in the South China Sea and looked forward to the “early conclusion” of a planned ‘code of conduct’ in the sea in accordance with international law, including the UNCLOS.
During his bilateral meet with newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Modi said India would “continue to accord the highest priority to its ties with Japan”, a readout by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
Both leaders also said India and Japan were “indispensable partners for a peaceful, safe, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region”, the readout continued.
India and Japan are part of the Quad grouping of countries, which also includes the US and Australia, that was revived by America amid China’s growing influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Modi’s meeting with his New Zealander opposite number Christopher Luxon in Vientiane was the two leaders’ first meeting, the MEA noted.
India and ASEAN also recognised opportunities for collaboration in digital public infrastructure, while Modi said while sharing “ten suggestions” on ties that the number of master’s scholarships for ASEAN students at Bihar’s Nalanda University would be doubled, though he did not share a timeline.